Starting device for lighter-than-air aircraft



Dec. 17, 1935. j E. A. LEHMANN 2,024,587

I STARTING DEVICE FOR LIGHTER-THAN-AIR AIRCRAFT Filed Oct. 19, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 L Fly. 1.

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STARTING DEVICE FOR LIGHTER-THAN-AIR AiRCRAFT Filed on. 19, 1952 2 ShetS-Sheet 2 Fig. 3.

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Patented Dec. 17, 1935 i STARTING DEVICE FOR LIGHTER-THAN- AIR AIRCRAFT Ernst A. Lehmann, Friedrichshafen, Germany, assignor to Luftschiffbau Zeppelin Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung,

Bodensee, Germany Friedrichshafen,

Application October 19, 1932, Serial No. 638,445 InGermany October 21, 1931 6 Claims. (c1. 24.4-2)

My invention relates to starting devices for lighter-than-air aircraft.

Airships of this kind ordinarily need no special means for starting from the ground as they are r lighter than the surrounding air and consequently have a surplus buoyancy which causes the ship to move upward as soon as it is released from the ground screw. But it is usual to order; the ground crew to throw the ship upward thus transferring to the ship a starting velocity so that it may sooner reachthe altitude which allows for movement horizontally, driven by its propellers. Generally the ground crew imparts the upward impulse to the lowest forward point of the air ships, for example the forward car or gondola; but in certain cases it may be advisable to give a similar impulse to the rear car also.

According to my invention I improve these conditions by providing special devices for start- 20 ing the ship upwardly, thus substituting for the 7 man power mechanical arrangements such as compressedsprings,rcompressed air or the like.

Devices of this kind, according to my invention are not carried by the airship but are mounted on the ground, so that they may in no way increase the, weight of the airship. But the starting devices need not be fastened to the ground, they may be transportable, so that they can'be used at different starting places. For this purpose it may be advisable to provide wheels under them or 'to mount them on carriages.

Starting devices according to my invention make is possible to reduce the ground crew to a minimum in number. Besides, if the 1 device chosen is strong enough, the time required to reach the altitude necessary for forward move- 'ment with the engines will also be reduced considerably. Furthermore it becomes even pos- 46 sible to start with a certain amount of overweight instead of free buoyancy. W

r The starting devices according to my invention may be provided underneath the lowest points of the 'airshipand'they may also be attached to a fastened. In the latter case the forward fastening point of the airship is accelerated upwardly by the, device, which would not be'possible by man power because of the limited space on a 50 mooring mast.

If the starting device according to my invention is attached to the top of an airship mooring mast I prefer to combine it with the mooring device. in such manner that the force accumu- 55 lators which serve'for starting the ship (springs mooring mast to which the airship may be of pneumatic means for instance) also are used as buffers when mooring the ship.

Generally the airship is fastened to a mooring mast by means of special mooring devices which comprise a revolvablev cone on the forward point 5 7 of the airship fitting into an adequately shaped receptacle fastened to the mooring mast. When starting from the mooring mast it happens very often that the cone audits receptacle will not separate. Then my invention is of great help as 10 it allows a sudden shock-like push to be imparted to the cone thus causing it to move out of the receptacle and at the same time transmitting a starting impulse to the ship. The direction of this impulse of course need not be directly vertical but it will generally be more in a vertical than in a horizontal direction. I prefer to provide means for setting this direction vertically as well as horizontally. I

Having given a general description of my invention I now want to point it out morein detail ,and to refer to the drawings which represent examples embodying my invention.

Fig. l'is the side view on an airship showing diagrammatically the simplest arrangement of starting devices according to the invention.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 represent another example in which the starting device ismounted on a mooring mast. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the top of a mooring mast; Fig. 3 is also a vertical section through the top of the same mooring mast butin the position in which the airship is moored'to it. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the main parts corresponding to Figs. 2 and 3. H

As to Fig. 1- the airship body is designated at L.

fThere are two cars or gondolas, G1 and G2.

Underneath these cars are situated two starting devices, S1 and S2, respectively, which rest on the ground. Their main parts are cylinders Z1 and Z2, respectively, and piston rods T1 and T2, respectively. There are two containers F1 and F2, respectively, out of which compressed air or the like is led to the cylinders to actuate the piston rods and consequently the airship upwardly when it is desired to start, and suitable valves, (not shown) in the connecting lines are opened. In the other example represented in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, there is a main mast scaffold I having a top platform 2. The revolvable top structure .3 has a ground plate 4 mounted on balls 5. Plate 4 at its edge is provided with teeth 4' meshing with the teeth of pinion 6 adapted to be rotated by means of crank I. Thus it is possible to turn the mast head or top around a vertical axis. This top forms a kind of fork with two columns 23 having bearings 8 in which the tube or cylinder 9 is journaled by means of two pins ID. A segment I l having worm teeth at its arc is mounted on one of the pins III. A worm ll adapted to be rotated by means of crank 12 meshes with the teeth of segment ll. Thus it is possible to vary the elevation of tube 9. Inside of tube 9 there is a piston l3 having a rod l8. A portion M of the piston is engaged by an expanding spring l5 which will urge rod [8 outwardly and consequently push the cone l9 out of the receptacle 20. The cone also may be pushed out of the receptacle by compressed gas from container H, which gas acts on piston I3 and is led to cylinder 9 through tube l6. Rod l8 at its forward end has an eye 24 through which the mooring line leads, and furthermore it has a longitudinal slot for this mooring line which leads downward over pulleys 2| and 22 to a capstan or the like (not shown) at the foot of the mooring tower.

When mooring'or starting tube 9 shows an elevation as represented in Fig. 2, whereas it may be substantially in horizontal position when the ship is moored as in Fig. 3.

Cone I9 is attached to the airship body A by means of a link IS. The cone has a circular groove 24 into which a bolt or screw 26 fits when the ship is moored. This special structure is Well known. As soon as the bolt or screw 26 is withdrawn and mooring line 25 released spring l5 tends to push cone 19 out of the receptacle 28. If there should be any difficulty in releasing the cone the man on the mast top opens valve 2'! of container I! suddenly, thus'giving a shock on piston I3, thereby loosening cone l9 and at the same time pushing the airship upward.

I do not wantto be limited to the details described or shown in the drawings as many variations will occur-to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is: r V

1. A mooring and launching device for airships comprising a turret, means mounting and controlling the rotary position of the turret, a cylinder pivotally mounted for angular movement in a vertical plane on said turret, means controlling the angular position of the cylinder on the turret, a funnel-shaped member forming the cylinder end and adapted to receive'a mating cone carried by the airship to be moored, a piston in the cylinder having a rod extending through the funnel-shaped member and adapted to lie within the base of the funnel member or to be moved outwardly to forcibly eject any mating cone from the funnel-member and fluid pressure and spring means for controlling the operation of the piston and red. I

2. A mooring and launching device for airships comprising a turret, means mounting and controlling the rotary position of the turret, a cylinder pivotally mounted for angular movement in a vertical plane on said turret, means controlling the angular position of the cylinder on the turret, a funnel-shaped member forming the cylinder end and adapted to receive a mating cone carried by the airship to be moored, a piston in the cylinder having a rod extending through the funnel-shaped member and adapted to lie within the base of the funnel member or to be moved 5 outwardly to forcibly eject any mating cone from the funnel-member and means for controlling the operation of the piston and rod.

3. A mooring and launching device for airships comprising a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder 10 having a rod extending through one end thereof and adapted to releasably receive a member connected with an airship, means for forcibly ejecting said piston and rod to launch said airship, and supplemental means cooperating with said piston and rod and capable of ejecting said piston to substantially the same extent as said firstmentioned means, for ejecting the same in the event said first-mentioned means should fail.

4. A mooring and launching device for airships comprising a rotary turret, a cylinder pivotally mounted for angular movement in a vertical plane on said turret, a funnel-shaped member forming the cylinder end and adapted to receive a mating cone carried by the airship to be moored, a piston in the cylinderchaving a rod extending through the funnel-shaped member and adapted to lie within the base of the funnel member or to be moved outwardly to forcibly eject any mating cone from the funnel member and fluid-pressure andspring means for controlling the operation of the piston and rod.

5. A mooring and launching device for airships comprising a rotary turret, a cylinder pivotally mounted for angular movement in a vertical plane on said turret, ,means controlling the angular position of the cylinder on the turret,

a funnel-shaped member forming the cylinder end and adapted to receive a mating cone carriedby the airship to be moored, a piston in the cylinder having arod extending through the funnel-shaped member and adapted to lie within the base of the funnel member or to be moved outwardly to forcibly eject any mating cone from the funnel member and fiuid-pressure and spring means for controlling the operation of the piston and rod.

airship to be moored, a piston in the cylinder 55 having a rod extending through the funnelshaped member and adapted to lie within the base of the funnel member or to be moved outwardly to forcibly eject any mating cone from the funnel member and fluid-pressure and spring means for controlling the operation of the piston and rod.

ERNST A. LEI-IMANN. 

